Improvement in spring catch-buttons



REED, & PACKARD.

. Curtain-Fastening.

No. 43,928. A yatented Aug. 23, 1864.

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A -23 A A g NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

T. K. REED, OF EAST BRIDGEWATER, AND H. F. PACKARD, OF FORTH BRIDGEWATER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPRING CATCH-BUTTONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,928, dated August 23, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, T. K. REED, of East Bridgewater, and H. F. PACKARD, of North Bridgewater, county of Plymouth, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Spring Catch-Button; and we do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of our invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention relates principally to the fast ening of the back and side flaps of carriagetops to their frames; and it consists in a pcculiar constructed rotating button or device having the top or button part movable with iespect to its seat in such manner that-it is confined in position by means of a spring, as

i will proceed to describe.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a view of the button in its position when confining the flap and frame, and Fig. 2 its position when allowing the flap to be drawn away or rolled up on the frame.

a denotes a bar of the carriage-top frame, showing the buttonplate b as applied theret A tube, 0, projects up from this plate, said tube having a spindle, d, extending through it into the bar a, and forming a bearing for the spindle and the button 6 upon its outer end. The lower edge of the spindle has a spring, f, so applied to it as to draw the button e firmly down against the head of the beari n g-tube c. The tube has two sets of inclined notches or depressions out down into its outer end one set being in the plane of the button 6 when in the position seen in Fig. 1, and the other set in the plane of the button when turned around ninety degrees from such position as seen in Fig. 2. The lower edge of the button, where it abuts against the tube, is charnfered off, so as to fit into the notches, the part of the button directly above the tube being cut away, so that by the action of the sprin g f the edge of thebutton is drawn down into the notches in such manner that the button is held securely in position, and prevented from rotating by the jar of the carriage, while by applying the fingers to the button the edge is drawn over the inclines of the notches and the outer surface of the tube until being turned ninety degrees it slips into the other set of notches and is held therein by the spring.

In the ordinary and wellkuown method of confiningv a carriage flap and frame together a round-headed knob or nail is applied to the frame, with a common slit or button-hole in the leather or flap to button thereon. The stiffness of the leather and the difficulty of opening the button-hole to slip itover the knob soon breaks and wears away the boundaries of the hole, so that it becomes insufficientto keep the flap in place, while it is hardly possible to mend or repair the buttonhole so as to again render it of practical use. It has been our object to overcome this difiicult-y, which we have eifected with our invention.

In preparing the flap we cut, punch, or stamp a hole in the flap, as seen in Fig. 3, said hole having a width and general size corresponding to or somewhat larger than the button, as will be readily understood from the red lines in said figure allowing the button to slip through the hole without any compression or displacement of the material of the flap, while by turning ti e be ton, as denoted by the dotted lines, the flap will be securely fastened against the tube 0 without injury to the flap and withno possibility of slipping away from the button.

Although described in its application to carriages, it will be evident that our invention can be more generally adapted as a fastening device.

We claim- The improved rotating spring catch-button, when made and operating substantially as described.

T. K. REED. H. F. PACKARD.

Wiznssse's:

1 GOULD, J. B. URosBY. 

